Heddle-handling mechanism



Ap 1929- P. w. CUMMINGS 1,707,626

HEDDLE HANDLING MECHANISM Original Filed June 15, 1925 SSheets-Sheet 1 MCI) j g v v r I i r I fill vizier) April 1929. P. w. CUMMINGS- ,626

HEDDLE HANDLING MECHANISM Original Filed June 15, v1925 3 sheet's-she'et 2 W- 35 I 3O 3 32 v N \3/ I g 2? I 32 I a 2q 2s cs fired/or: 5% 6 W 41%; ah.

April 2, 1929. v P. w. CUMMINGS 1,707,626

nanpma HANDLING MECHANISM Original Filed Junel5, 1925 3 sh ets-sneet 3 Fremazzlz/L" 2071412117 I m rain.

.Patented A 'pr. 2, 1929. 4 1,7 7',6Z6

umreo .e I OFFICE.

PRESTON "w. CUMMINGS, 1{Rd1 mnn; I'Lmfio'rs essrcmd tr'o 'BAfifiit'itgb iiMKN dorkmany, or noe zronn, rumors, A eo'arormmion' or rrmiiwors. r

This invention relates to means for opertype shown;in,the 'Kaufm'imn Patent No. 'ati-ng upon in'de'pen'cle"t'ortletaehecl metallic 1,168,308 said frame comprising atop bar 60 'h'edd1es, 'st1o11 as Wire,- steel and si'vaged hede1, af'n end barQ, and a top'heddle supporting, allies, and. espeeially steel herl'dies of the zba-r 3. v D I I:

general type disclosed in the Fehr 'Pateht While the invention maybe enipldyedxin No. 673,499 arid, the Kar'ifniarin Patent No. connection" with heddles of .v'arioris forri'1l 1990,8593. The i nve'htiorrhasspecial referthe 'mechanismshown-in the drawings '15 55 enee to means for selectii'rg hedclles singl espeeial'lyiintendedio operate upon heddles and atlvahoing them into or "toward a posi- A 'con'sistingof a thin narrow stripe of steel tion Where-someoperation maybe performed having at each end, an elongated opening B upon the he'clcll'es, as, for exam le, the draw.- by means of which the hecldlesqmay be strung ing-in of Warp threads. '01' sh'dab'ly mounted upon the upperheddl'e- More particularly, the object of the '111- supp0rt1ng bar'3 an'cla similar bottom bar rvetn tiol'l is to provide a hecldleselefcting' and :(not herein shown). Just below the upper advancing mechanism which shall be Very opening B the heddle i" proyided withgan sih'i'p le in construction ahcl .the rn'twenients oilset portion havnfg a fiat surface D (Fig.

of y' hich shall be of a Verysimple character. hen the heddles are placed in 'a1'ter-- 65v In theaccon panyifig drawings, Figure 1 mating arrangement with the *silrfaces D in is fragmental elevation 01" a maehine e n- Contact there is formed a series of spaces E bodying the features of my invention. 1 k thehorizoiital plane of the ofisets'and' a Fig. 21s a horizontalseotronal View taken series of spaces 5F- bel'owthe se'r1es of offsets,

i'n-t'he plane of line 2-2 3? Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 6, "there is a spaceE at one -70,

Figs 3 and 4 are sectional views taken side of e'achheddle'and a space Fat the approximately in the plane of line *3 of "opposite side of the 'he'cldlez r 1 Fig. 1. j 'A'nysui't'able 'lrieaios Ihay be employed to Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmental perspe'ot iye supper-t "the hecl'clle frame. The specific views showing cliil'er'ent positions of the character of the herldle-lrahfe supporting heclllle seleetiing and aclv'anein device, means will depend in part u on Whether the v Fig. 7 is a detail view 'of the hecldle selectheclcll'eframe be traversed, past "stationary 30 ing and advancing cle'yioe; he'cld1e4ian'd1ihg mechanism or Whethe'r'the Figs. 8, 9', 10 and 11 are fragiriental per-r hedclle frame is stationary and istrayersed speetiveyiets' s showing various positions of by the 'heddlerarrd-ling rireehanisfm; While the heclclle selecting and advanci g device. the invention eo'rripreherids both arrange F 12-is a section on line 12 12 of Fig 2. merits, the present drawin s illustrate a sta- 35 The invention claimed hereih'alter is estiori-afry 11'1eohani-sh1 past which the he'd'dles peoially i tended for inc'orl'aoratio'ri. in [a 1 are arranged to niove, I r machine for operating upon hedclles, as, Referring irowfto Figs; 3 and 5': 4 and 5 fer example, a warp-drawing ma'ohine, but are guide plates fixed injthe framework of the mechanisi'n sh'owir in; the drawings is the mac'hihe and extehdi li g' horizohtally a '40 merely illustratiwoithe inyehtion and/does short distance below-fire series of offs'e't's'D.

not represent the ihventio'n in operative rela- The space between the guide plates '4 and 5 tion to the other mechanisms of a complete: constitutes a guldewa 6 through which the machine. 7

0 hedclle's may travel. Any suitable means The iiwention is especially, althoiigh not may be employedto keep a group of hecldles 45exolusive1y, intended to select and position compacted together in the guideway 6 with heddles Whil'eth latter areeohtaine'd in an the leading he'ddle pressed against'the "selectorclinary hecl'dl'e frame; Herein there is ing; mechanis Herein I have shown a Shawn a rigidhed'me bf general "slide 7 (F i-g1- manned in w 'gu'idwajy 8 direction to press (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) provided in the framework of the machine, said guideway extending parallel with the guideway 6. To the slide 7 is pivoted at 9 (Fig. 2) a presser fingel- 10 arranged to bear against a heddle at or adjacent to the offset 1). The operative position of the presser finger is deterndned by contact of the stop portion 11 or said finger with the slide 7. Any preferred means may be used to urge the slide 7 in the .the finger lOagainst the heddlcs. 2) which is connected to the slide 7 by means of a flexible connect on 18, said connection extending over a g" 'de sheave 14.

In the present instance,reach space;E and F is as deep as the width of an individual heddle. In otherwords, the spaces extend entirely through the series of heddles. Each of said spaces provides an entrance for a relatively thin selecting device, which is followed by a wedging device that serves positively to push apart the two heddles between which the given space is formed.

In the present embodiment of the invention the heddle-selecting and positioning mechanism comprises a device S (Fig. 7) which rotates through one revolution to select and advance a heddle and then. rotates in the opposite direction through the same distance to select and advance the next succeeding heddle; Said device comprises an approximately triangular plate 15 7 which serves as'an abutment or stop for the unselected heddles. The selecting and advancing device S further comprises aplat-e lfispaced away from the abutment plate 15 suficiently to accommodate a single heddle (see Fig. 12). The plates 15 and 16 are rigidly secured together. The plate 16 is approximately rectangular. The corners indicated-at 17 and 18 are the portions which pick off, select or initiate the separation of the foremost heddle from the next adjacent heddle. The selector 17 selects a heddle when the selecting and advancing device S turns in one direction, and the selector 18 selects the next lheddle when the device S turns in the opposite direction; As shown in Fig. 12, the edges of the plate 16 are sharpened or reduced in thickness to facilitate the entrance of the corners 17 and 18 between two heddles.

The selecting: and advancing device S further comprises a wedgeshaped projection 19 on the plate 16, said projection extending; away from the unselected heddles, and being diametrically opposite the abutment 15 and the pair of selectors 17 and 18. As shown in Fig. 12, bothsides of the pro jcction 19 are inclined at the same angle, one side servin to advance a heddle irevlousl b selected by thecorner 17, and the other side acting to advance a heddle previously selected by the corner 18. Inasmuch as the the axis of the selecting Herein is shown a weight 12 (Fig,

wedge 19 is capable of advancing a heddle when swung in either direction it maybe termed double-acting.

As shown in 5 and 7 that portion of the plate 15 which acts an abutment for the unselected heddles extends farther from vice S than do the selecting corners 17 and 18, and is located between said corners.

While the heddle-selecting and advaneine' device S has been described in considerable detail, it will be unuderstood that it is susceptible of modification in shape, propor tions, and other respects.

The selecting and advancing device may be mounted in the machine frame in any pre ferred manner. ilerein it is shown as secured to a shaft 20 (Fig. 12) which is mounted in bearings 21, the axis of said shaftbeing approximately in the horizontal plane of the lower ends of the offset portions D. 1 I i The selecting and advancing device may as driven by any desired means, that herein hown being purely illustrative. As herein shown, a pinion 22 is fixed upon the shaft 20 and meshes with rack teeth 23 formed on a bar2 1 (F which is guided in the machine framework for rectilinear reciiprocation. On the bar 2- 1 is a yoke 25 which is engaged by a roller stud 26 on a crank arm 27 fixed upon a shaft 28.

In order heddles are down n proper position for selection by the heddle-seiecting and advancdevice S, I provide means which, while itmay shown as consisting of presser foot attached to a slee e 80 which is slidably mounted upon the bar 24;. A pin 31 carried by said bar is arranged to lift the sleeve 80 in the upward movement of the bar 2 1 so as to raise the presser foot 29, as shown in Figf and advancing dc to insure that the foremost be of any desired character, is herein stationary stop 82, the presser foot not being permitted to bear against the series of heddles. In its downward movement, the presser foot 29 is yieldingly pressed against any heddle that maybe slightly above its normal position by means of a coiled spring 83 surrounding the bar 2 1 between the sleeve 80 and a collar 3 1- 'lixed on said bar;

As hcreinbefore stated, the device S mairos a complete revel .ton in each ycle. his. '8 illustrates the device S in its initial or at-rest position, the arrow indicating the direction in which the device is about to turn. The operation is as follows:

Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 8, it will be seen that as the heddle-selecting and advancing device S turns in the direction indicated the arrow in Fig. 8 and the parts assume the poheddles alternating in position with the outer sides of the otisets in contact so as to to m a series of spaces E in the horizontal plane of the offsets and a series of spaces F belowthe series of offsets, said mechanism comprising a heddleselecting device mounted for rotation upon an axis parallel with and adjacent to the horizontal plane of the lower ends of said oi'lsets, said device comprising an abutment, two selectors spaced from the abutment suiiiciently to receive a single heddle and located at opposite sides of the abutment, one of said selectors being adapted to enter a space E when such a space is in register with said selector, and the other being adaoted to enter a space F, when such a space is in register with the last mentioned selector, meansto turn said device alternately in opposite directions and means to cause relative approaching movement between the group of heddles and the selecting device whereby to place a space E in register with the corresponding'selector and then a space F in register with the other selector.

l. A heddle-selecting and advancing mechanism to operate upon a series of independent heddles characterized by regular alternate variation of the members of the series, said mechanism comprising a rotatably mounted device consisting of an abutment and two selectors spaced from the abutment sufliciently to receive a single ieddle and located at opposite sides of 'the abutment, one of said selectors coacting with one of said variations, and the other selector coacting with the other variation, said device also comprising a double-acting wedge located diametrically opposite the abutment and adapted to advance a selected heddle,

and means to rotate said device alternately in opposite directions.

5. A heddle-selecting mechanism to operate upon a series or independent heddles characterized by regular alternate variation of the members of the series, said mechanism comprising a pivotally mounted device consisting of an abutment and two selectors spaced from the abutment sutliciently to receive a single heddle and located at opposite sides ot the abutment, one of said selectors coacting with one of said variations, and the other selector coacting with the other variation, and means to turn said device alternately in'opposite directions;

6. A pivotally supported heddle-selecting and advancing device comprising an abutment, two selectors spaced from the abutmentsufficiently to receive a single heddle and located. at oposite sides of the abutment, and a wedge-shapedheddle-adva-ncing projection located diametrically opposite said abutment. v

7. A pivotally supported heddle-selecting --device comprising an abutment, and two selectors spaced from the abutment suflioiently to receive a single heddle and located at opposite, sides of the abutment.

8. In a mechanism for operating upon a series of heddles strung upon a heddle-sup,

porting bar, the combination of heddleselecting mechanism, means to press a group of heddles against said mechanism, and a reciprocatory presser arranged to engage the upper ends of heddles adjacent to said selecting mechanism to press downwardly any heddle which may be above its normal position. g 9. A heddle-selecting mechanism to operate upon a compact series of steel heddles comprising means for supporting such a V series of heddles, a selecting device pivoted diametrically opposite said abutment, and.

means for rotating said device through a complete revolution alternately in opposite directions. i y

10. A heddle-selecting mechanism to operate upon a compact series of steel heddles comprising means for supporting 'such a series of heddles, a selecting device pivoted upon an axis extending at one side of the series of heddles, said device comprising an abutment at one side of the axis of the tie vice to be engaged by the foremost heddle of the series, two selectors on the same side of the axis of said device and spaced away from the abutment and toward the series of heddles suliiciently to provide space "for the foremost heddle, said selectors being located at opposite sides of the abutment, and means for oscillating said selecting device to bring the selectors alternately into action.

11. In a heddle-selecting mechanism to operate upon a compact series of steel heddles, means for supporting such a series of heddles, a selecting device pivoted upon an axis extending at one side of the series of heddles, said device comprising an abutment at one side of the axis of the device to be engaged by the foremost heddle of the series, a selector 011 the same side of the axis of said device and spaced away from the abutment and toward the series 01'? heddles sufiiciently to provide space for the foremost heddle, and means for oscillating said selecting device.

12. A mechanism adapted to operate upon a compact series of steel heddles formed to provide a space between successive heddles,

being rigidly connected together diametrisaidspaces extending entirely through the cally opposite each other and pivoted'upon series. of heddles, and heddle selecting means including a relatively thin element adapted to enter said spaces, and a wedge-shaped element following said thin element and adapted to spread apart the hed'dles between which the space is formed, said elements the series of heddles. V

In vtestimony whereof, I have hereunto aflixed my signature. 7

- PRESTON W. CUNHVIINGS.

. an axis located exteriorly of and alongside 1 

